Canadian Yachting December 2022 - 44

DESTINATION
A TASTE OF SUPERIOR:
THE EAST SHORE
By | JENNIFER M. SMITH, author of Green Ghost, Blue Ocean
O
ur 2020 cruise in the North
Channel was too good for a
one-off, so, when a career move
provided downtime in summer 2021, we
sailed north for more.
Departing from Penetanguishene, nostalgic
hearts insisted upon stops in favourite
Georgian Bay anchorages, while
adventurous spirits had us exploring
new areas too. In two weeks, we'd made
Killarney and after cruising that area, we
arrived in Little Current where we could
fi ll up and empty out, then head off to see
more of the North Channel.
We'd gone as far as the Benjamins
before, so we made these islands our starting
point. It's an overly popular spot, but
so beautiful, that we think it's a must-see.
We stayed two nights and departed late on
our third day for the pleasure of waking
up in undiscovered territory.
Heading northwest, we navigated the
narrow channel at Little Detroit and
dropped our hook off Green Island. After
a restless sleep through thunderous heavy
rains, we awoke uninspired by the overcast
sky. Our new view didn't measure up.
We thumbed through our guidebook. We
needed a plan.
" The last commonly visited island is
Turnbull Island, " I read aloud from our
PORTS guide.
" That can't be right, that's only fi fteen
nautical miles from here, " Captain Nik
replied.
We couldn't be at the end of the popular
cruising grounds already, could we? With
only three more pages left in the guidebook,
we suspected the answer was yes.
We had sixty miles of North Channel out
in front of us and two months of freedom
left to cruise. We knew we needed more
runway.
The day brightened as it unfolded. We
cruised west along Whalesback Channel.
A bald eagle soared over John Island. Our
spirits lifted with the rain. The sun-lit
scenery at the western end of the channel
was beautiful, and at midday, we tucked
in alongside two other boats in cozy Long
Point Cove, much happier with our view.
The couple from M/V Doldrums dinghied
over. When we learned they were
from Thunder Bay, a lengthy conversation
44 CANADIAN YACHTING | DECEMBER 2022
Sinclair Cove - Green Ghost at anchor
about favourite anchorages ensued. That
was all it took. From some enthusiastic
sharing with fellow cruisers, a Superior
plan was born.
With our hearts set on " the big lake
they call Gichigami " , we committed ourselves
to some big mileage. Putting in a
long day in dreadful weather but good
wind, we sailed westbound to Thessalon.
From there, we crossed to St. Joseph
Island and turned up the St. Mary's River.
An anchorage under East Neebish Island
gave us adequate protection from northwest
winds for a night. Another twenty-fi
ve miles upriver, and we were in
Sault Ste. Marie, tied up on the seawall at
Roberta Bondar Marina. After two days of
the requisite boat chores, we were ready
to go.
The single lock for pleasure boaters
on the Canadian side of the river was a
cinch to traverse. By calling " VDX23,
Canadian Canal " on Channel 14, we
spoke to the lockmaster at opening time,
9 a.m. With a single line at the bow and
stern loosely looped around the vertical
lines in the lock, we had a smooth ride
Canadian Yachting December 2022

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